Maureen's ring makes €120,000 at auction

BY BRIAN MOORE

A RARE 18 ct white gold brilliant cut diamond ring, that once belonged to the Hollywood legend and Glengarriff resident Maureen O’Hara, has sold at auction for €120,000.

The sale, which took place at Sheppard’s in Durrow, Co Laois on Tuesday, offered over 100 lots, including jewellery, art, furniture and some of the high fashion pieces The Quiet Man star was famous for.

‘Maureen O’Hara’s jewellery and furs faithfully reflect the pinnacle of Hollywood glamour and luxury,’ Philip Sheppard of Sheppards Auctioneers told The Southern Star. 

The Irish auction of some 250 personal items and memorabilia worth an estimated €500,000, was the second to take place since the death of the Hollywood icon. 

A similar auction took place at Bonhams’ in New York last year when the vendor was Maureen’s grandson, Conor Beau Fitzsimons.

However, Philip Sheppard said that he could not confirm who had offered these recent items for auction.

Other items of jewellery for sale included another rare 18 ct white gold diamond ring with baguette diamond shoulders with an estimated price tag of between €50,000 to €70,000, and also an 18 ct white and yellow gold natural Colombian emerald and round brilliant cut diamond bangle with an asking price of between €60,000 to €80,000.

However, one of the actress’s fur coats, a Christian Dior full-length white mink coat, trimmed with Arctic fox fur and lined throughout with silk, attracted controversy with PETA calling for the garment to be withdrawn. 

The auction in Durrow was watched from across the globe, with a number of internet buyers taking an interest.